Question about rock

[bif24701]

I am not sure these rocks are actual "live rock". I bought some live rock on CL and bleached it to remove any bad hitchhiker. The other rocks seem ok but these three seem like they where manufactured. Does anyone know what these are?

<a href="http://s1198.photobucket.com/user/Aaron_Wasson/media/8DE7EB36-6B61-4FBC-9CF3-FE4A89C96942.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1198.photobucket.com/albums/aa456/Aaron_Wasson/8DE7EB36-6B61-4FBC-9CF3-FE4A89C96942.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 8DE7EB36-6B61-4FBC-9CF3-FE4A89C96942.jpg"/></a>

<a href="http://s1198.photobucket.com/user/Aaron_Wasson/media/A903D5A0-D017-4614-AF3D-AAC2438AE7BC.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1198.photobucket.com/albums/aa456/Aaron_Wasson/A903D5A0-D017-4614-AF3D-AAC2438AE7BC.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo A903D5A0-D017-4614-AF3D-AAC2438AE7BC.jpg"/></a>

<a href="http://s1198.photobucket.com/user/Aaron_Wasson/media/2598B2A4-15BC-468B-A5D3-2E6B5D8A5449.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1198.photobucket.com/albums/aa456/Aaron_Wasson/2598B2A4-15BC-468B-A5D3-2E6B5D8A5449.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 2598B2A4-15BC-468B-A5D3-2E6B5D8A5449.jpg"/></a>

 

[bif24701]

Kinda looks like lava rock, did I get ripped off? Can I even use these in a reef setup?

 

[bif24701]

Yup , pretty sure these are lava rocks, they sure are porous though.

 

[Ou8me2]

Live rock has beneficial bacteria and critters. You just have rock now since you bleached it. I'm not sure what kind of rock that is, to be honest. It almost looks like manufactured rock.

 

[bif24701]

Yes, it does to me too. How do I know if it is reed safe?

 

[Dkuhlmann]

The rock is totally safe after you've finished bleaching it and running it through the cycle. I would like to add, that rock being so porous is going to be fantastic for housing bacteria. All of those holes give it more actual surface area for the bacteria to grow and thrive in. If you don't want that rock I'd be more than happy to take it off your hands

Especially the one in the first picture.

 

[bif24701]

The rock is totally safe after you've finished bleaching it and running it through the cycle. I would like to add, that rock being so porous is going to be fantastic for housing bacteria. All of those holes give it more actual surface area for the bacteria to grow and thrive in. If you don't want that rock I'd be more than happy to take it off your hands

Especially the one in the first picture.

No doubt its good looking rock, my fear was that it would potentially leach silica or something I didn't even know about.

Yes, it is super porous. After I bleached it and rinsed it and let it dry in the Florida sun for two days it was STILL wet on the bottom!

Thanks for the input!

 

[CStrickland]

Lava rock used to be a lot more common, it's lightweight and porous and easy to work with. People stopped using it as much because it's not carbon based like aragonite, and you can't be sure it doesn't have deposits of minerals or metals in it. So it's not a safe bet like regular aragonite.

Like any used rock off Craig's list Id want to see the tank it came from. If it was sold off because the reefer had constant issues where coral failed to thrive, or used tap water, or treated with copper, that would be a risk for contamination that can't easily be undone - whether the rock started contaminated or the reefer did it. Or if the tank was full of algae the rocks may have soaked up a bunch of phosphates, much easier to deal with. If it was a super healthy tank and the reefer tore down cause they were moving away or having a baby or something - I wouldn't worry at all.

 

[bif24701]

I don't know anything about the tank it was in but the rock was very alive with all kinds of stuff, sponges, pods, and one had some zeos. Would there be anyway to know, maybe I could use some poly filter when I get water in my tank?

 

[Reef Frog]

I didn't think lava rock would be white....

Isn't it always black?

 

[bif24701]

I don't know, is it?

 

[bif24701]

Question about rock

I haven't seen LR that looks like that, but you could be right. It is very light colored. I think I'm going to give it a chance.